Spencer Turner.. Face first in a huge puddle.

Hello Rodeo Fans,

I’m a little behind on my updates but just got 2 more for 2010.  After Oak Grove I entered Kearney, Missouri. This is usually the last rodeo of the season for the United Rodeo Association so I entered it to have a little bit more of an edge going into the URA finals.  When I got to Kearney I realized it was going to be like the last few rodeos I had been too, muddy muddy muddy.  We had to park a half mile from the rodeo arena and ride in a Gator to get there.  The arena was a muddy mess with standing water.  It was an afternoon perf so at least the sun was out trying to help matters.  The horse I drew was a big bay horse from the Grand River Rodeo Company out of Grand River, Iowa.  I had seen the horse at some of their rodeos in the back pens but had never seen anybody get on him.  A buddy of mine had him drew a couple weeks proir and turned him out because the general consensus of all the guys he asked was that the horse was no good.  He supposedly run off and didn’t buck, so my buddy didn’t waste his time and left and went home.  Well knowing this, I wasn’t to motivated to get on the horse.  On the other hand I had a couple thoughts that were in my favor, it was muddy and deep so if he did run off he couldn’t do it very fast.  Sometimes horses buck different in the mud. They are unsure of their footing and don’t cover much ground. I also had the idea to lower the halter on his nose to maybe tuck his head up under himself causing him to buck without running off.

Well it was time to load the broncs and saddle them.  They run the big guy in the chutes and he most definitely took up all of the chutes, leaving me with not much room to work with. I pulled my saddle and climbed in, anxious to see how this would turn out.  I nodded and he came blowing out.  My mark out felt strong which makes for a good start to a ride.  He definitely noticed the mud and the lower halter. He blew up and started throwing what we call a wild horse fit.  Jumping and kicking and throwing his head, belly rolling and not coving much ground.  My spur ride felt great, I was setting my feet high in the neck.  After a few seconds of this he decided to move on down the arena jumping and kicking, which was fine with me.  I was riding good and felt great. Shortly before the buzzer, he was jumping pretty high and when he came down he slipped in the mud. He didn’t go down but instead, he gathered his footing and had this weird blow up sunfish head throwing thing.  It caught me off guard a little bit and my leg ended up on top of my swell.  When he came down from the jump the buzzer went off so on his way up I decided that since I was out of shape that I would just bail of and land on my feet making for a good show.  Well that was my plan, I actually bailed off and got caught in the stirrup and it flipped me upside down and I landed face first in a huge puddle of standing water.  I was completely covered from head to toe in muddy water and sloppy mud.  The silver belly had I had on quickly became brown.  I was frustrated at first but then played it off and had fun with for the crowd.  The score was good enough for second which I was thrilled about.  The Lord has Blessed me with several wins and lots of placing in 2010.  I haven’t rodeo’d as much or as hard or traveled as far as I have in years past but I still Give the Glory to God for giving me the talents and opportunities and the success. 

The next update will be from the United Rodeo Association Final in Topeka, KS, then bring on the rodeos of 2011 .  Until next time, God Bless and be safe On The Rodeo Road.

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Spencer Turner…I started thinking how blessed I am to be at a rodeo

Hello Rodeo Fans,

Up the road from here a bit is Oak Grove, MO.  Six Crowns Rodeo Company from Lincoln, MO puts on a rodeo there.  I was looking forward to having a day off but decided to enter it.  Its just too close to not go.  I had gone to it 2 years ago and didn’t have any luck but was feeling confident about this year.

The night before I was entered, it came a down pour, and they had to postpone the show for a little bit.  I heard it was pretty bad and the arena was not draining well, and it was a muddy mess.  I was being positive and kept thinking it would be a dry arena by the time I got there the next night.  It rained the next day and my positive thinking didn’t work this time, the arena was a swamp.  I kind of started thinking I should of gone with my first notion of having a day off instead of rodeoing. It seems like I’ve done nothing but clean my muddy gear all year.  I found my draw, it was a sorrel mare with no name or brand.  They have hauled her but I didn’t remember her.  I started to get discouraged with all the mud, water, mess, and not knowing my horse.  I started thinking how blessed I am to be at a rodeo, and riding broncs, no matter what the weather or horse.  I quickly changed my outlook on the whole situation.  I was glad to have that mare, and I was glad to be at a muddy rodeo, at least I was at a rodeo.

I ask around and found that the mare had been OK in the past, and it had been awhile since she was bucked so she would be fresh. This was good news.  It came time to saddle broncs and I found her and got her saddled.  She stood OK, but wasnt a very big horse, and with me being a bigger bronc rider (5’11” and a little over 200lbs.) this wasnt to my advantage.  I slowly climbed in and sat down and put my stirrups on and nodded my head.  She blew out of the chute into the muddy, standing water, arena and she went to bucking.  She felt a little light and not much power. I felt great on my markout and my spur ride was going good too.  She jumped across the arena towards the fence.  My saddle felt weird, like it was going to go over her head. This made me set my feet harder in her neck.  Well after a few jumps of thinking my saddle was coming off, I realized she was bucking up under herself, almost felt like she was going forward but when she jumped and bucked, she felt like she moved backwards a bit.  It was weird and cool all at the same time. The buzzer sounded and I got off on the pickup man (and it just happened to be right by the bucking chutes, so I didn’t even have to walk in the mud, I actually didn’t even get muddy at all, which made me happy).  They announced my score and they had me leading the rodeo thus far with only a couple guys to go.  The last guy to go was a good friend of mine so I jumped up to help him.  He went out and got thrown over the horses head and stepped on.  And with the mud and water combination, he was literally stuck in the mud and couldn’t move.  I rushed to help him.  We got him up and helped him out of the arena, which is where I suddenly became not clean anymore, I was covered.  I joked around with him saying that I can ride a bronc and win the rodeo in a water covered arena and stay perfectly clean but I got covered in mud getting him unstuck, so I was sending him the bill from the cleaners. 🙂  All in all it was a great night, I won the rodeo and my buddy didn’t end up with any serious injuries.  I have been blessed to win 3 out of the last 4 rodeos and give all the Glory to God.

Until next time God Bless and be safe On The Rodeo Road.

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Spencer Turner….I directed my attention to the arena and put my panic on hold

Hello Rodeo Fans,

The week after Eskridge I entered Warrensburg, MO.  I haven’t entered this rodeo in many years but I had an excellent reason to do so this year.  In the weeks prior to the rodeo Brandy’s oldest daughter, Jillian, had been doing interviews and horsemanship and riding for a Little Ms. Queen contest for Johnson County, Missouri, which is for the Warrensburg rodeo.  They were going to announce the winners of all the queen contests including the Little Ms. Queen, during the middle performance of the 3 day rodeo. I figured since all of her family and my parents were going to be there, that I might as well enter and ride.

As I mentioned last time I wrote, at the rodeo in Eskridge I lost a stirrup during the ride and got disqualified.  After I rode I sat in my saddle to make sure the length was right on my stirrups (this is one reason why stirrups some off). Everything seemed fine so I packed my gear up and went home.  I hadn’t touched my gear all week until I threw it down behind the bucking chutes in Warrensburg an hour before I rode.  I was helping Jillian get ready for the queen contest, and getting ready myself, when I sat in my saddle and something felt weird.  I looked at my stirrups and realized that I my stirrup was about to fall off.  At the top of the stirrup is a bolt that holds the stirrup to the leather, the nut had fallen off the bolt and was missing.  I was kind of in a bad way, I was about to ride in a few minutes, they were getting ready to announce the Queen winners, and I desperately needed a 1/4″ nut.  I asked a few people, knowing that finding one was unlikely.  They were about to announce the Queen winners so I directed my attention to the arena and put my panic on hold.  They announced Jillian as the 2010 Little Ms. Johnson County Rodeo!  We were all so excited and happy for her. I went out in the arena and congratulated her and took some pictures, then it was back to franticly trying to find a nut for the bolt. Without the nut there was no way I could ride.  I had one last place to look. In my gear bag I keep a little bag of spare leather and some tools. I dumped the bag out knowing that the chance of there being a nut in there was slim.  Well to a surprise to me there was one lonely nut rolling around. God Is Good!  I hurriedly put it on and finished getting ready cause they were about to load broncs in the chute.

During the entire Queen commotion and me looking for a nut, I found out what horse I had drawn.  I hadn’t been to this stock contractor (Outlaw Rodeo Productions) in several several years so I had no idea about the horses.  I made a few calls and found out that this horse wasn’t rode very often and he actually injured a buddy of mine in the chutes a few weeks prior.  They said that when he bucks, its hard and fast and he has a few moves to go with it.  He was a bigger paint horse that looked like a bronc should.  I made my way to the chutes and saddled the paint. He was a little skittish in the chute but noting to bad.  Just as a precaution I had a friend tie the horse in.  I crawled in the chute ever so gently, once he felt me he started leaning on me. Some fellow cowboys helped me out and I got to a position where I could nod.  When I nodded and the gate came open, he bolted out of there hard.  He had a move to the left then right all the while kicking over his head.  He bucked down the arena and felt like he was changing lead with every jump. My swells were moving from side to side making it hard to ride.  I was spurring him pretty good considering he was doing all that.  The buzzer sounded, I got off and was walking back and heard a score of 77 which was good enough to win the round and eventually win the rodeo. 

It was a good night for me and Jillian, we cleaned house at Warrensburg and it’s a memory I won’t soon forget.  We are blessed and give the Glory to God!

Until next time, be safe and God Bless

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Spencer Turner… When the 8 second buzzer sounded I decided to just bail off the horse

Eskridge, Kansas has a rodeo that I have never been to before so I thought I would enter.  I had been Blessed to be winning a lot lately so I figured I would try my hand at the rodeo put on by C-R Mckellips out of Missouri.  I showed up a little late and couldn’t find the arena. I found it right smack dab in the middle of town, but getting to it was a chore.  Apparently the police don’t take kindly to people driving down the wrong way of a one way street to try and get to the arena gate.  I was instructed to drive clear around town to get to the arena gate (which was literally 100 feet in front of me at this point).  After I did this and I got parked in the contestant parking (which was in some fellas back yard) I made my way to the arena just before the Grand Entry went in.  I paid my fees and found my horse.  It was a horse I had seen once, a red roan that has a real big rear out and he is just good to get on. Everyone said it was a good match for me and I should win the rodeo. I was hoping they were right.

I saddled Roanie with no problems and climbed in. I got my stirrups and got ready to nod.  I was prepared for a big entrance into the arena after my nod and I was not disappointed.  I marked the horse out and made sure to keep my feet planted firmly in his neck as to not miss my mark out during the rear out.  I was sitting good and was ready for the rest of the ride.  Roanie made a big jump and kicked high, I pulled my feet back to reset them in his neck. When I set my feet in his neck I realized that my left stirrup was not on my foot.  This is a disqualification. I decided to continue to make the ride (just in case the judge didn’t see it come off, although it was pretty obvious that it did, but ya never know). The horse was bucking pretty good, I was spurring really good with my right foot, and was doing ok with my left, considering I didn’t have a stirrup on it.  When the 8 second buzzer sounded I decided to just bail off the horse. Riding and spurring a bronc with only one stirrup is a lot of work and I had enough of it.  I walked back hoping to hear a score and not see a yellow flag on the ground but the judge saw my stirrup come off and I got a zero.  Everybody behind the chutes didn’t see the stirrup come off and congratulated me on a good spur ride and asked why I got a zero. I told them why, and some of the younger guys couldn’t believe I rode that good with only one stirrup, I just laughed and said I didn’t want to hit the ground at my age.  I was disappointed that I didn’t win anything but I know that everything happens for a reason and it is all part of God’s Plan. Until next time God Bless and be safe On The Rodeo Road.

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Halloween Pic….Spencer Turner…

Brandy Marcum and Spencer Turner

Spencer Turner (OTRR Cowboy) is so famous that someone dressed AS HIM for Halloween (watch out Snookie!). I dont know……but looks dead on to me!!!!! Good job Brandy! HAHA…

Brandy’s take on the night…..”As we all know Spencer is a “Denim Dan” in his Candian Tux! 🙂 SO how could I ever wear anything BUT ALL DENIM 🙂 I do have a tooth pic in, but you can’t see it!!!  I don’t think my dress will ever be the same after he wore it as a shirt!” 

Spencer we have seen your beautiful girlfriend in person and I have to say, good effort, but she doesnt have facial hair! hahah

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Spencer Turner… Everything was going well in the chute…

So after Downing, I entered Kirksville, MO put on by Heartland Rodeo Company.  I hadn’t been to the Kirksville rodeo in probably 6 or 7 years so I decided to give it a whirl again this year.  I was also anxious to try my new spurs I had made for me.  I had drawn a paint horse that I was not familiar with. I asked around and found out that it was a horse they bought awhile ago from a bronc rider who used it as a practice horse.  The bronc rider they bought it from happened to be entered at this rodeo and was out the same night I was.  I asked him about it, he said that it should take a little run then break and just jump kick down the pen. This was a fairly big rodeo with a pretty decent amount of money added and quite a few contestants, I was really wanting a rank horse so that I had a chance of winning it.  I wasn’t sure this old practice horse was going to be enough to win it on but I stayed positive and was just blessed to be out rodeoing.

They loaded the broncs and I saddled the paint.  Everything was going well in the chute.  It was my turn and I climbed on the paint horse, I put my stirrups on an was about ready to nod, when the horse reared up and tried to jump out of the front of the chute, knocking some guys off the back of the walkway. I stayed on and rode out the storm.  Things settled down and I was making sure everything was good to go when it happened again.  Most of the time I will stay on a horse that it acting up in the chute, I did exactly that both times, but the second time the paint reared he bucked and almost went completely over backwards.  This sent me over the cantle of my saddle and down the horses back towards the bottom of the chute. I caught myself on the bars before I got to the dirt. I climbed my way out, while the horse was still flipping out. This kind of stuff doesn’t bother me too much (even though it was almost a bad situation) I was kind of laughing.  I got the horse to calm down and got everything situated again, this time I had a buddy tie the horse in.  I nodded and we came out pretty high and fast. The rear out felt good and I held my feet great, my new spurs felt awesome through the rear out.  After that the ride went downhill fast. The horse took the long run like the guy said he would, but he never broke and just kept running and running and running.

The judges offered a reride and I gladly excepted.  I found out what horse the reride was but I had no clue what it was.  I asked around and found out that the horse was a horse that at one time was broke to ride. I wasn’t to sure about this but I know that some saddles go bad and make good buckers but some don’t.  Since the horse was halter broke, I put my rein on the throat latch of the halter to keep the pressure off him.  I climbed in and nodded. The gray horse came out and started throwing his head around and throwing a bit of a wild horse fit, almost falling down twice.  This was pretty hard to ride him through but I did and then he started to set up and jump and kick pretty high and ended up being pretty bucky.  I rode him really well and put my new spurs to good use, setting my feet high in his neck. I was happy with the ride and excited to put together a great ride.  I was 81 points and won the rodeo and I give the Glory to God.  The coolest thing about the ride was after they announced me being 81 and winning the rodeo, I walked out in the middle of the arena (where the pickup man had the horse dallied off) and unsaddled the bronc and carried my saddle back. Not very often can you win a rodeo and then walk up to the bronc in the arena and unsaddle it. The announcer and the crowd went wild, they didnt know it was an old saddle horse (and I wasn’t about to tell them and ruin the moment). These are just some of the good times On The Rodeo Road. Until next time, God Bless and be safe.

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Spencer Turner…Monsoon and Mud

The week after Allendale, MO and getting rained on and barely missing the big storm, I went to Downing, MO for a rodeo put on by Heartland Rodeo Company.  The day of the show I was south of Kansas City. I left in plenty of time to get to Downing, but when I got north of KC it became a little hairy driving. When I got in KC I noticed it was very dark up ahead and I had heard from Brandy that there were some pretty nasty storms in MO. I just kept on trucking, when the rain hit, boy did it hit!  It was terrible and there were tornados in the area, I saw several cars off in the ditch and a couple semi-trucks blown off the road. I couldn’t drive very fast cause of the wind and rain but I was determined to get to the rodeo. I drove in this kind of weather for a few hours (it probably was not very smart but I did it anyways). The rain started clearing of when I got about an hour from the rodeo, but I noticed that there were several trees down and telephone poles were blown over and the road was covered in branches like a tornado or straight winds had just came through there. I tried to make some phone calls to see if the rodeo was still going to happen but couldn’t reach anyone, so I just continued on to Downing. When I pulled into town it was still raining and the arena looked like a soupy nasty mud pit, water was standing everywhere.  I found the contractor and asked what the plans were. His comment was “it may be raining hard but the wind ain’t blown anymore so were going to rodeo”. This suited me fine. Mud never bothered me much (except when it comes time to clean my gear). I found the horse I was to get on, she was a little bay mare that was supposed to be good. I had heard about her even before I got there. I wasn’t sure how she would buck in the messy, underwater arena.

Unlike a lot of the cowboys, I kept my saddle and gear in my car until it was show time.  It was raining pretty hard and I decided to wait to get ready. Matter of fact I didn’t even really get ready, I didn’t see the need in changing my clothes or getting my saddle out in the rain until it was time to put it on my horse. I waited until the horses were in the chutes before I got my stuff out. I didn’t even unwrap my saddle from the week before. I carried everything over to chutes and put it straight on the horse. She was a little thing and didn’t give me much trouble in the chute. I was told she took a lot of rein, but had my own plans on a rein measurement. It was raining hard and very muddy, so I decided to not give her as much rein as they said too. Some horses don’t put their heads as low as they normally do when it is that muddy. They buck different because they are unsure of their footing.  I climbed in the chute and nodded. She came out pretty hard and started kicking over her head pretty good. My assumption on the rein was wrong, she took some rein from me and bucked with her head in the mud. I didn’t mind her taking rein from me cause I can handle it pretty well. I would almost always take a horse with shorter rein and let them take some from me, rather than giving them too much and trying to ride with it way to long (because getting it back in the middle of the ride is near impossible, at least legally anyways).  She was pretty strong for the first few then got weaker as the ride went. I rode her OK and was spurrin her pretty good, but was having a hard time setting my feet like I can. When the buzzer sounded I was satisfied with my ride, considering it was a nasty mess and it was raining pretty good.  I was 77 which was acceptable considering the conditions, it was good enough for me to lead the round but I got bumped to second by a cowboy the next night. I give thanks the Lord for the success and protection cause not a single horse, bull, calf or steer went down in the watery mud and no one was injured that I know of. Which is awesome considering the conditions.

I give some credit to the Downing rodeo committee for carrying on with the show, and they have some die hard rodeo fans. The stands weren’t packed but they were still pretty full even though they had to sit through a monsoon. Thanks for supporting the rodeo!

Until next time God Bless and be careful On The Rodeo Road!

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Spencer Turner…There were actually 2 rainbows over the arena

Allendale, Missouri puts on a rodeo that I have been to several times over the years. This year I decided to go back.  Brandy’s daughter, Jillian, went with me which was fun. The rodeo is usually a pretty good one and gets lots of contestants. It kind of out in the middle of nowhere in North Missouri, and there isn’t a lot to do around there so the crowd is usually big.  Grand River Rodeo Company out of Grand River, Iowa brings the stock.

I was little weary about the weather on the way up there, it was pretty dark and looked like it could storm. As we pulled in the lightning was getting pretty bad. I went and found the day sheets and saw that I had a horse drawn that they called Slingblade. I had been on him before a few years prior and won a rodeo. He is pretty hard to get by. He has a couple different trips, one is pretty wild and western and the other is a little better when he goes down the pen but he has a lot of swoops and moves.

The rain started in before the rodeo began which wasn’t to bad, it was the lighting that was bad.  They decided to post pone the show for awhile.  I wasn’t too thrilled about getting on that horse in the mud and rain, I was kind of hoping they would cancel the rodeo due to lightning.  They decided to continue with the show in the rain, the first part of the show it was raining, then it let up and there were actually two rainbows over the arena. This reminded me of how lucky I was to be able to do what I love to do, no matter what the weather or what horse I had drawn, but to be out there riding bucking horses and being blessed. I totally changed my attitude about getting on Slingblade. It came time for bronc riding and I was ready to have some fun, rain or shine, dirt or mud.  He is kind of nervous in the chute so I made sure I got in and nodded as quickly as I could. He always leaves the chute hard and fast so I was going to make sure I had a good solid mark out. He left fast and I was pleased with my mark out, he then jumped down the pen with the ducks and dives and swoops. I was riding him OK I thought. I was having trouble setting my feet and beating him to the ground, I was a bit behind. When the buzzer sounded I got off on the pickup man, fairly pleased with how it all went. I wanted to ride him better but was satisfied. My score of 74 was good enough for a 3rd place money.  The rain picked up and made it hard for us to get home, we actually had to pull over for awhile. It was a good night in all, it was a definitely a reminder of how blessed we are, and how I should make the best out of any situation.

Until next time, God Bless, and be safe On The Rodeo Road

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OTRR hears from Spencer Turner..

Thursday I went to a little rodeo in Corder, MO that C-R McKellips Rodeo Company from Raymore, MO put on.  It was a one day rodeo that I went to watch last year when I was injured, so I thought I would enter it this year since I had nothing much to do on Thursday night.  I got there with plenty of time to spare this time, unlike last.  I drew a bay horse that none of the 16 bronc riders there that night knew. The contractor said he was glad that I had drawn that horse, he said that the horse was good for 6 seconds then need a little help from the rider to keep bucking good, and he said I should be able to keep him “picked up” and should win the rodeo.

There were a lot of riders there considering it was a little one day show, so it was good catching up with some friends I haven’t seen in a while.  They ran a few broncs with the bareback riders. I was in the second section of broncs so I helped a few buddies and got to watch some bronc riding.  When it was time for the second section of bronc riding, I got ready and found my horse. For the most part he stood well in the chute. When I nodded he had a big rear out and I marked him out well. He did buck decent for the first half of the ride, just like a bucking machine, didn’t have a bobble in him. I was riding him pretty good I thought. The second half of the ride was when I had to work a little harder to keep him bucking. He wanted to weaken and run off but I kept him going long enough for the buzzer to sound. I felt confident of the ride and the Lord blessed me with a 1st place. Two wins in a row felt good and I have to give all the Glory to God for everything! 

Until next time be safe On The Rodeo Road and God Bless!

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Spencer Turner.. 15 Minutes before they bucked broncs

I decided to stay close to the house and enter a rodeo in Warsaw, MO which was put on by C-R Mckellips Rodeo Company. I had the day off work so I was relaxing and doing stuff around home and wasn’t too worried about time because Warsaw is less than an hour from the house. Well I kind of lost track of time (and to be honest I overslept my nap). I hurried down there and got there about 15 minutes before they bucked broncs. I had got a phone call from a buddy on my way down there and he had told me what horse I had drawn. It was branded 502.  I made a phone call to another buddy and found out that the horse was a pretty common horse but fun to ride. So I knew what to expect and didn’t have to ask guys after I got there.

Like I said I pulled in 15 minutes or so before they bucked broncs. I paid my entry fees and got ready. I found my horse and saddled him. He was a little black horse who stood really well in the chute. It came my turn and I crawled down on him. He became a little nervous when I sat on him and moved from side to side. I put my feet in the stirrups and got ready to nod. This is when I pulled a rookie mistake. I was getting ready to nod and I was putting my rein hand out in front of me and I kind of pulled on the rein which caused the horse to rear up and try to jump out of the front of the chute. I stayed on him while he did this and thrashed around some more. When he calmed down I nodded and he came out of the chute pretty hard.  He was pretty quick and kicking hard. He angled across the arena. I felt really good on him and pretty aggressive. He came to the fence and made a tight circle to the left and the buzzer went off. I felt really good about the ride. The rein measurement was good, my saddle felt good and I was happy with the ride. I rode good enough and the horse bucked well enough for me to win the rodeo, which was a Blessing from the Lord!

Until Next time God Bless and be careful on the rodeo road!

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